9 Easy Practices You Can Start Today For Better Mental Health
If you're struggling, whether at work or school, in relationships, parenting, or with mental issues like anxiety and depression, there are few things worse than being told to just do better. People telling you to just think differently, be more patient, or try harder only aggravates the situation more. But what if you had a few simple, easy practices that you could start today? Not just a “do better” mentality, but small adjustments to your day and your habits? Not a quick fix or perfect cure, but a few things that, over time, would make a significant difference in your life and the lives of those around you. Here’s a simple list:
Get better sleep
Eat better foods
Get better exercise
Have better use of your time through volunteering
Hang around better people
Find better stuff to do
Have better conversations
Treat yourself a bit better.
Let me explain more.
1. Better Sleep, Better Mental Health
It's always the first thing to go. The first thing we sacrifice. All in the name of productivity. It's the glory of the all-nighter. The badge of honor staying up late to finish the project. Even the addiction of binging on Friends or The Office all night. But even if you think you can survive on less than the ideal amount of sleep, it should be the exception, not the norm. You should still be aiming for that 6 to 8 hours of quality sleep. When we sleep, our brains go to work, cleaning and getting ready for the next day. Without enough sleep, your brain just lives in filth.
Click Here to Learn About Insomnia Causes
2. Eat Better Foods. Yes, Food Matters
Yes, what you eat impacts how your brain works. Imagine using milk for motor oil in your car. Your engine might work for a little while, but soon enough, it will stop working, and you'll need a new engine. The same is true for your brain—except you can't get a new one. Put the wrong things in your body—high fructose corn syrup, unnecessary french fries, and other processed foods—and your brain can't work properly. Conversely, using the right motor oil will keep your engine humming happily year after year. All this time, mom was right. Eat your veggies—your brain will thank you.
3. Moving Your Body Helps The Mind
No, you don't need a fancy and expensive gym membership. Heck, you don't even need a cheap gym membership. You don't need to run out and buy the latest in-home gym tech. And you certainly don't need to hire a personal trainer. Of course, please do if you want to do any of those things. But for many, the cost or the commitment is just too much. But here's what you can do: take a walk. Ride a bike. Toss a football or baseball around. Yes, it's about physical activity, but it's also about what that physical activity means for your mind. Study after study reveals even just a little movement and some fresh air have incredibly positive effects on our mental health. So, stop reading this for a few minutes and take a walk around the office or around the block. Just be sure to come back and finish. Go.
“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”
- Henry David Thoreau
4. Volunteer Your Time
Helping others is good for your soul and good for your mind. This life is not just about you. A 2020 study done in Europe found that people who volunteered at least once a month reported greater levels of happiness and satisfaction in life over those who had not served others at all. Giving our time to others creates a necessary and essential social connection. It helps us express love, kindness, and gratitude. All of which are attitudes reflective of mental wellness. So contact your local rescue mission or get involved at your local church and get started.
Click Here to Learn More About Giving Time to Others
5. Hang Out With Positive People
Our time spent with others profoundly affects how we view ourselves, other people, and the world around us. Being a positive person is hard when you are surrounded by negative people. Don't be around people who make it worse if you struggle with negativity. Allow the positive attitude of others to rub off instead.
Click Here to Learn Ways to Protect Yourself From Negativity
6. Time For Hobbies And Other Stuff You Love
Find time for things you enjoy--for yourself and nothing else. Even if you enjoy your work or school, you need a hobby of some kind to shift your brain into a different gear. It's easy to say you don't have time, but making time is important. It doesn't have to cost a lot or take too much time. It can even be something you do on and off throughout your day. My desk is occupied by an incredibly challenging puzzle. I don't work on it every day, but whenever I need a moment to think, relax, and refocus, I spend a few minutes entirely focused on it. After twenty or thirty minutes, my head is clear, and I feel restored and more energized.
Click Here to Learn More About choosing the Right Hobbies
7. Practice A Full Day Of Rest
This comes from the ancient idea of taking a Sabbath—a day entirely devoted to no work. We are made to work. It's part of humanity's design. But we are also meant to rest. Because our bodies and minds need time to simply take a break from the stress and sweat of work. While your brain isn't a muscle, it functions a lot like one. When we work our muscles, we stretch them and break them down. Resting allows muscles to rebuild bigger and stronger. Our brain is similar. Constant stress and mental engagement can wear us down. Rest gives our minds a chance to recover and get stronger. Sabbath-keeping gives our minds the time it needs to rest and recuperate. You are basically taking a weekly holiday from your regular daily pace. It's good for your physical, spiritual, and mental health.
Click Here to Learn About Intentional Rest
8. Make Mental Health A Part of Everyday Conversations
If mental health is not a conversation where you work or go to school, that has to change right now. Caring about how we are doing doesn’t have to be an awkward or avoided conversation. It’s simply the difference between asking, “how are you?” and “how are you, really?” One word can change the entire dynamic of the conversation. And it's one of the simplest and easiest things we can do to maintain mental wellness. It should be a priority in our homes, workplaces, and schools. But far too often, there is an unnecessary stigma around the conversation. Far too many people think not being okay is not okay. So they suffer in secret. Until it's too late. Ask the question. Have the conversation. And RemedyLIVE can help get the conversation started.
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9. Be Realistic With Yourself
It’s so easy to create incredibly lofty and sometimes completely unachievable goals. They sound good, inspiring, and filled with so much hope. But when we don't follow through, we are left disappointed, disillusioned, and even depressed. We sink back into old and sometimes destructive habits. We get stuck, and nothing changes. Does that mean you shouldn't reach for big goals? Of course not. Get in there and take on the challenge. But how you approach it matters. First, be realistic with your goals. Make sure it's something that can and should be accomplished. My dreams of being a professional athlete are over, so I won't be adding that to my list of 2022 goals. Second, break up the goals into bite-sized chunks. If you're climbing a mountain, don't focus on the top. Focus on the next step.
Click Here to Learn More About Missed Goals
Don't feel like you have to jump into all nine right this minute. Pick two or three. Spend a couple of weeks trying it out. How did you do? Don't take your mental health for granted. Pay attention to it. Work at it. You'll be happy you did.
